THE scandal prone administration of the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, has been hit by a new corruption allegation so grave that, if proven true, it could lead to the resignation of members of the Prime Minister's inner circle, and even of Mr Netanyahu himself.
The allegation, strenuously denied by Mr Netanyahu and by all those of his colleagues said to have been involved in the affair, centres on the appointment earlier this month of a previously unknown Jerusalem lawyer, Mr Ronnie Bar On, to the position of Attorney General Israel's highest law enforcement official.
Mr Bar On resigned within 48 hours of the cabinet vote approving his nomination - amid complaints among jurists that his years of activism in Mr Netanyahu's Likud party meant he lacked the necessary political independence, concern that he did not have the experience essential for the position, and claims about his private life.
But the Bar On affair has not ended there. In the last three days, Israel Television, the state run TV channel, has detailed devastating claims that Mr Bar On's patently inappropriate appointment was the result of a sordid backroom deal hatched between Mr Netanyahu's aides and a former government minister, Mr Aryeh Deri, who heads the ultra Orthodox Shas party in Mr Netanyahu's coalition, and who is in the midst of a massive and protracted fraud and corruption trial.
According to the TV allegations, Mr Bar On was being installed as Attorney General to arrange a plea bargain that would put an end to Mr Deri's legal troubles. In return, the two Shas ministers in Mr Netanyahu's cabinet were to vote in favour of the Hebron redeployment deal - as, indeed, they did, early in the hours of January 16th, when their votes proved crucial to the approval of the accord. If Mr Bar On were not appointed, the suggestion runs, Mr Deri was threatening to pull Shas out of the coalition, depriving Mr Netanyahu of a majority in the Knesset.
Mr Netanyahu is insisting that the TV claims are "a complete fabrication", and has launched a verbal assault on the state broadcasting authority, accusing it of bias against his government. The head of Israel TV's news department, Mr Rafik Halabi, counters that the story has been thoroughly checked and is solid.
If true, the reports of the machinations that led to the Bar On appointment point to a deliberate effort by the country's political leadership to obstruct justice, compromise the independence of the judiciary, corrupt the legal mechanisms and place politicians above the law. It's no wonder that Israeli political analysts have taken to comparing Mr Netanyahu to President Nixon, and the Bar On affair to Watergate.
In true Watergate style, there are even reports of a recording of Mr Bar On's commitment to ensure a plea bargain for Mr Deri, although neither this recording, nor any other incontrovertible evidence, has yet been produced. However, even such pro Netanyahu ministers as Mr Natan Sharansky, the Trade Minister, say they are by no means convinced the reports are false. And apparent inconsistencies are starting to emerge in the statements issued by some of the key players.
For example, the Minister of Justice, Mr Tsahi Hanegbi, had originally told his cabinet colleagues and the media that it was he who suggested Mr Bar On for the post of Attorney General in interviews on Thursday, by contrast, Mr Hanegbi appeared to contradict himself by saying that the recommendation had come from the Prime Minister's Office.
Mr Netanyahu and his fledgling administration have already been involved in more than their fair share of controversies: his live TV confession of adultery four years ago the resignation last year and subsequent indictment of his first justice minister the embarrassing resignation of his first bureau director; the argument with his army and security chiefs over who was to blame for the opening of the Jerusalem tunnel last September that triggered violence with the Palestinians.
With the Bar On scandal snowballing - blaring front page headlines in the daily press; blow by blow coverage on the radio and nightly TV news - Mr Netanyahu had little choice yesterday but to give his backing to calls for a police investigation into the affair. A formal police announcement of an inquiry is expected tomorrow.
Mr Hagai Meron, a deputy from the opposition Labour Party, says Mr Netanyahu will have to resign if the TV reports are true. Mr Yossi Sarid, another opposition politician, has called the case, if proven, the "biggest corruption scandal in the history of the state".